Daniels has written books on everyone from Judas Priest to Bon Jovi and well understands not only the musical impact of a band but their cultural imprint as well. In this book, he looks specifically at Metallica's first four albums and the huge footprint those records left behind. He then analyzes the period of those releases--1981 through 1989--and
how it would forever change the landscape of metal.

In his intro Daniels writes, "...there's no doubt that the early years of Metallica from 1981 to 1989 laid down the foundations for the birth of American metal. Metallica were literally the bridge between the British heavy metal bands of the late 1970s and the American bands of the 1980s. Metallica also spearheaded the famed Bay Area thrash scene and led the Big Four of the thrash bands, with the remaining three being Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. The holiest of the unholy of American thrash."

The first four albums--Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and
...And Justice For All--are dissected. Recording processes are examined, tracks are analyzed, and the impact of the music is measured against the metal scene as a whole. It's an insightful look at one of metal's most important bands, and though there have been many books written about them, Metallica have never seemed as easy to understand
as after reading this.